Since its inception in 2008, Airbnb has continued to grow worldwide at an astounding rate. People love the concept of living like a local and sharing somebody’s home, and property owners and entrepreneurs have used to platform to make their fortune. However, as a US company you may be wondering where in the world it is most popular. Read on to find out which cities have seen the biggest growth and which locations takes the number one spot for the highest amount of listings.

Oui, c’est Paris!

According to a Statistica infographic from 2016, Paris was the city with the most listings on Airbnb – and was well ahead of any other location. The romantic French city had 78,000 listings and we predict that figure to be even higher by now. In fact, Airbnb has noted much of its growth across Europe, as six of the top ten worldwide cities with the most listings are on the continent.

London came in second on the list, with 47,000 listings – just ahead of New York. But Barcelona, Rome, Copenhagen and Amsterdam were also big players on Airbnb. It’s great that these cities have embraced the Airbnb model, however it doesn’t mean that these are the places experiencing the highest demand from guests. When you’re up against thousands of other properties, there’s a lot of competition!

Rapid Africa growth

It has taken a while for Airbnb to properly take off outside of the US and Europe, but now top tourist destinations on the African continent are starting to make a name for themselves on the holiday rental and homesharing platform. Last year CNN reported that Airbnb usage was up 110% in Africa, with annual guest numbers rising to 1.2 million.

South Africa is the main hub for Airbnb, accounting for 43,400 listings. Cape Town leads the way in South Africa, as a tourist destination which has a peak holiday season each year where the hotels are at full capacity. Morocco, Kenya and Nigeria are also experiencing rapid growth in listings and earnings.

Property laws

When comparing cities, it’s important to be aware of the property laws in each country and state which could have an effect on Airbnb listings. Many cities have introduced laws to make sure property investors aren’t buying up affordable housing in order to make money renting to tourists on Airbnb. Restrictions on short lets and responsible housing laws have had an effect mainly in the US, for example New York and San Francisco.

Are you ready to put your home to work and join thousands of other hosts across Europe making money from their empty nests? Get in touch to see how we can help.